Reward
by PrayForFeeling
Summary: A reward for a hard day's work


It was funny. He'd only known Dante for a few months now, but he seemed to have this...unspoken connection with him that he'd never had with anyone else before. It was something Leon couldn't quite put into words. He felt like he understood the demon hunter on some kind of deeper, even metaphysical level, and yet at the same time, he felt clueless. It was different than what he'd felt for Ada. Deeper? It was hard to say. And at this point, the idea was, well, somewhat frightening.

Either way, he was grateful that Dante allowed him to stay with him. It was much easier to take a car ride to where he'd currently been assigned than taking a jet multiple times a week back or forth, and less lonely than staying in a hotel room even if Dante wasn't the easiest person to have a conversation with. It didn't matter, they didn't have to talk much, simply having Dante's presence nearby...well, it meant something to him.

Their lives were so different, yet, in some respects, so similar. Leon saw things on a day to day basis that most people couldn't fathom in their whole lives. And he was sure that it was the same for Dante. Sometimes, when he saw infectees running around, their devastated families, or something similar he wondered if the thoughts that ran through the back of his mind in such situations matched Dante's when he saw anything similar.

But Dante's laid-back, chill attitude made it hard to tell. Well, maybe it didn't matter anyway.

Some days were harder than others. Leon was pretty accustomed to, well, handling it all but occasionally, the wear and tear would show itself.

The doors to Devil May Cry burst open and Leon staggered in. He was in one piece, thankfully, and nothing was broken but the scratches on his face and arms, the tears on his shirt, and his tired eyes spoke loud and clear for themselves.

Dante was kicked back in his chair, boots propped up on his desk and face buried behind a magazine. It was typical. He didn't look up from his reading material, but his tone reflected that he knew right away who had entered. "Rough day, babe?"

Leon shut the doors behind him and staggered to the couch, flopping on it. He rested his head back and let his eyes drift to the ceiling. "Yeah, you could say that."

It was with Leon's tone that Dante pried his eyes from the glossy pages before him and glanced at Leon with an unreadable expression. Leon looked even more worn than normal. Without a word, Dante threw his magazine on his desk and climbed out of his chair, leaving the room. Leon looked over, watching him leave for a moment, but shrugged it off and let his eyes drift back to the ceiling, losing himself in thought. He was much too tired to try and read Dante right now, and most of the time he didn't bother trying anyway.

A few moments later the familiar sounds of Dante's boots across the floor echoed in Leon's ears and suddenly, a strawberry sundae was placed on the coffee table before him. It was a little sloppily put together but looked very delicious. Whipped cream was piled so high that it threatened to fall right out of the bowl, and there were so many strawberries that Leon had to wonder just how he'd gotten so many in the bowl without making it overflow in the first place.

Leon cocked an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"A reward." Dante said with a grin. "For a hard day's work. I don't know about you, but these babies always make everything just a little bit sweeter, don't you think?" The demon hunter walked off back to his desk, and if Leon didn't know any better, he'd swear that he was just a little lighter on his feet.

Leon sat up straight and reached for the spoon that Dante had stuck in the bowl, smiling slightly to himself. Dante was one strange guy, and a little bit silly. But this was almost adorable.

He took a bite, savoring in the sweet flavor. After swallowing, he looked back at Dante, who had buried his face behind his magazine once again.

"I could get used to this."

He heard Dante chuckle. "Welcome to my world."

Well, Leon was glad to be here.


End file.
